How does Charles Ross represent the Death Star being blown up? Just throw his hands up and go "boom"?

Science fiction stars don't seem to enjoy their show's catchphrases being quoted back at them.

Star Trek actor Jonathan Frakes flinched when I told him, "Live long and prosper." X-Files icon David Duchovny was nonplussed when I asked him if the "truth was out there". However, Charles Ross, star of the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, remains calm when I say to him: "May the Force be with you."

"You can say that if you want to," he says. "It sounds like a sermon or something like that."

But the Force is with Ross. The stage-trained actor was as surprised as anyone when a Star Wars sketch condensing the 1977 movie into 20 minutes charmed audiences. He was able to parlay this success into the One Man Star Wars Trilogy in 2001 and take it from his native Canada to around the world.

"Writing something that was a bit more one-man-orientated seemed to make sense just because I wanted to do theatre," Ross says. "When it took off it was a bit of a surprise to me. This is one of those things that struck a chord."

Fortunately, it also struck a chord with Star Wars director George Lucas's company Lucasfilm, which didn't shut Ross down. "By the time I got contacted by them, I'd already had enough positive press behind me."

Ross describes the show as a retelling of the original bad-hair trilogy. "I've got the script down to one hour. I don't use costumes or sets or props."

Does he use lightsabres onstage?

"No, I don't. Don't own toys, don't have any costumes. It really is the trilogy condensed down to its bare-bones story, which, when you think about the story, is a pretty simple story."

No C-3PO or Chewbacca suits?

"No, man, this has to be portable. I could yank a bunch of costumes around with me but - correct me if I'm wrong - I think, no matter how much money you put into it, it would look kinda lame. I figured if you can't tell the story with your own faculties maybe you shouldn't be telling it. Why bother?"

Ross obviously doesn't dress up like Princess Leia on Jabba the Hutt's slave barge. "I only wish I could do that. I couldn't find enough gold to fit my physique."

Does he do some of the great lines such as "[Luke], I am your father"?